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When you’re looking for that one special London eatery with an ambience to match its culinary excellence, the Black Trumpet is always in the discussion.

Celebrating its 13th anniversary on Richmond Row, the Black Trumpet is fine dining at its best, its elegant decor of dark tones and plush furniture perfect for a romantic get together, business lunch or gathering of friends.

That’s just the interior. Walk through the restaurant to the rear courtyard and you enter another world, one of sunlight and a multi-tiered fountain surrounded by planters and hanging plants.

You could be in France, Spain, or Italy.

The perfect setting for a delightfully refreshing lunch.

Although the dinner menu is awe-inspiring — how about beef carpaccio or pan-seared calamari to start, followed by an entre of maple lacquered muscovy duck breast, or, perhaps, your favorite seafood? — summer is the perfect time for a leisurely lunch in the courtyard.

The offerings can be as basic as a gourmet pizza, as refreshing as a watermelon and feta salad with baby arugula, basil and mint, slivered red onion and vanilla balsamic dressing, or as rich as seafood linguini.

When it comes to the food, chef Scott Wesseling is a key ingredient to the restaurant’s ongoing success.

But when he’s not busy in the kitchen and can take some time for himself, Wesseling knows exactly what he’d like to see on his plate.

“When I want to spoil myself for lunch I would prepare — or have prepared — a nice board of charcuterie and antipasto, with marinated vegetables and a selection of cheeses and a nice crusty baguette,” said Wesseling.

“This is what I consider comfort food and is ideal for enjoying with a nice glass of wine with friends and loved ones. You are able to experience so much more flavours and textures, and each bite or combination of ingredients is different from the last. What could be better?”

Where do you find inspiration?

Inspiration for new menus comes from a number of different places and people. The most obvious being the season in which the menu is being created in, followed by research on which of the ingredients will be available locally, sustainable, and ethically farmed. After that information has been established my team and I sit down as a collective and discuss new ideas, techniques, and trends that may contribute to a successful menu.

Do you use local ingredients?

Yes, if it is available at the local level, we bring it in.

What influences selection of ingredients?

Selecting ingredients starts with research on where the ingredients are grown, how they are grown/caught, and how long it takes to get from field/ body of water to our door. Scallops that are caught on the last day of catch and shipped fresh compared to a scallop that was caught the first day of catch and frozen will render a distinctly different flavour profile. This can be said the same for a fish that was pole caught compared to a fish that was net caught, or a tomato that was ripened on the vine and a tomato that was ripened on a truck on its way to Ontario.

How should ingredients play off each other?

Ingredients should first and foremost complement each other, after that you need to make sure you have a well-balanced dish with contrasting flavours. If the entire dish is made up of the same taste and texture you will most likely lose interest in the dish before you have finished it.

What drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) would you pair with your selected dish and why?